Arrives in Miami with humanitarian parole and returns to Cuba: How do I get back to the U.S. now?

A Cuban who entered the United States thanks to the humanitarian parole program decided to travel for a season to Cuba to visit his sick mother and now cannot return to Miami, where his four children live.

This man contacted journalist Mario J. Pentón to seek advice from the lawyers who collaborate with the communicator, because he needs to return to the United States and does not see a way to achieve it.

"I need to re-enter the United States. I’ve already been in Cuba for seven months, I can’t take it anymore, I’m desperate. I came because my mom was sick, but she’s fine now. I need you to help me return," said the affected person.

Lawyer Ismael Labrador recalled that humanitarian parole is not a visa, but a legal stay permit in the United States, allowing for a single entry into the country.

"You cannot return to the United States with the same parole you used to initially enter. This is not a multiple-entry visa, nor is it U.S. residency, even though you received it in the United States. Understand this, it is a permit to stay in the country," the lawyer explained.

In Labrador's opinion, it is important for immigrants with humanitarian parole in the United States to accept the idea that there are consequences if they return to their countries of origin, in this case to Cuba, because they lose the opportunities granted to them by the program.

"The only solution in this case is to apply for a new parole and wait to receive a new approval," he said.

However, U.S. officials carefully study each case. Everything is recorded in the databases, so when evaluating the next humanitarian parole request, they will know when the first one was submitted, in what context it was approved, how long that individual was in the U.S., and they may take a more critical look at their application.

In the case of this Cuban, who has one of his four children sick with heart problems, it is likely that he can apply for a humanitarian visa I-131. However, this type of visa is one of the most complex to obtain because it requires a lot of supporting documentation for each case.